In April, the Women’s Fund Armenia announced a call for funding programs aimed at ensuring economic resilience. The aim of the call was to promote women’s initiatives. The Fund received 86 applications from different regions and communities of Armenia. The applications were reviewed by an external commission. Interviews were conducted with the authors of the applications that passed the first stage, after which the following 8 projects were selected:
- Alvan Tsaghik Social-Educational NGO – «Tati toon» [Grandma’s House] children’s entertainment center. The organization will establish an entertainment center near the pre-school institution, which will provide jobs for young mothers. The children of single women and women from vulnerable groups will receive free pre-school education at the center at the expense of additional income provided by the entertainment center.
- Women’s Center: Shushi NGO – Capacity building of “Shuhel” creative women’s group. The group gathered women who faced physical and sexual violence around handmade works. After the war, women affected by the war hostilities have joined the group. Through the grant, skills development courses and seminars will be organized for the group participants, as a result of which the group will gain skills in modeling, working with leather, wool and other materials, and receive high quality products.
- Mets Parni Youth Center – “SERvand”: establishing a forest cottage near Trchkan waterfall, which will contribute to the development of tourism and will become a source of self-financing for the center. The majority of the memebers of the Center as well as its coordinators are girls. SERvand will enable the Center to have a stable income, to finance the necessary courses, programs, other problems of its members to take care of the structure.
- Meghrashat Women’s Cooperative – Support to a group of 5 women from the border community of Meghrashat to develop their own production and gain financial independence. The cooperative is engaged in the production of chechil cheese and will direct the grant to the purchase of the necessary equipment.
- Center for Legal Initiatives NGO – Empowerment of women from probation center for a sustainable future. Women’s professional skills development courses for women from probation center to provide them with the necessary knowledge to promote economic stability. The female beneficiaries of probation center who will participate in the training will be provided with the necessary materials and equipment to do manicure and hairdressing.
- Olga Baghdasaryan – “Smart greenhouse”: support to the establishment of a greenhouse with modern technologies in Dvin community of Ararat region, which will contribute to the development of the community. The greenhouse will create new jobs and produce profitable berries.
- Another two women from vulnerable groups will receive support to develop their initiative to ensure their own economic stability. Their idea is related to the production of organic skin care products and hairdressing.
We will present the progress and results of the above-mentioned programs in the future.
